Dublin Fire Brigade IMPACT Trade Union members to join strike this month

Dublin Fire Brigade members of the IMPACT Trade Union have voted overwhelmingly to join their colleagues from SIPTU in two 24-hour work stoppages this month.

The strikes are due to take place over 24-hour periods on Saturday, March 18th and Monday, March 27th.

IMPACT has just over 80 members in Dublin Fire Brigade, and its members voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action to oppose an attempt to break up the DFB Emergency Medical Service by removing its ambulance call and dispatch function.

Speaking about the upcoming work stoppages, IMPACT official Dessie Robinson said: “Dublin Fire Brigade emergency medical service acts as a cohesive unit, combining highly trained paramedics, emergency vehicles and a dedicated call and dispatch centre which consolidates all fire and emergency service calls.

“This is especially suited to an urban environment with strategically-placed stations.

“The proposed break-up risks severing a key link in the DFB emergency medical service chain and reducing its effectiveness.

“This could result in response time delays, putting lives at risk. We believe this is going directly against the advice of Dublin’s chief fire officer who has confirmed the importance of maintaining the fire EMS model.”

In a letter of notice to Dublin City Council Chief Executive Owen Keegan, Mr Robinson said the union is available to take part in “meaningful discussion in an effort to avoid a further escalation of this dispute”.

In February SIPTU firefighters voted by 93% to 7% in favour of strike action and 97% to 3% in favour of industrial action.

Alongside responding to fire incidents, Dublin Fire Brigade has also been providing an emergency 999/112 ambulance service for nearly 110 years, with all firefighters fully trained as paramedics.

Last year, firefighters based at Tallaght Fire Station responded to more than 10,200 medical emergencies, while the crews based at Nutgrove attended more than 7,000.